The Unicorn that wasn’t

[MowerMike]

No, there is no difference in either blade thickness or cutting angle. The only difference is in the increased surface area behind the tip, which results in more lift for better mulching and bagging, but also requires more power.

 

[dougmacm]

No, there is no difference in either blade thickness or cutting angle. The only difference is in the increased surface area behind the tip, which results in more lift for better mulching and bagging, but also requires more power.

Thanks for confirming these facts !!

Doug

 

[MowerMike]

OK, so it’s been nearly three weeks gone by, and I’ve mowed my lawn four times with the new HD Unicorn blade. The problem is that it has been so wet that the first three mowings are inconclusive, since all I’ve gotten is wet grass muck that builds up on the deck and forces the mower into continuous high power mode, which dramatically reduces battery run time. The fourth mowing was done yesterday, and although the grass was still not fully dry, I did get enough individual grass clippings to make an assessment of mulching quality. There was also a lot less muck buildup on the deck, so I was able to get a longer runtime with the mower running about 50:50 between low and high power modes.

So, based on this not so precise assessment, I conclude the following:

1) The HD blade does provide a significant improvement in mulching quality over the standard blade. I saw no clippings longer than one inch, and most were less than 1/4”.

2) General cut quality is excellent, level and with virtually no stragglers.

3) Battery power consumption is about 50% higher than with the standard blade, or about a third reduction in runtime.

 

[dougmacm]

Well, you got my curiosity going and since I wanted a couple of spare blades for my 2 mowers anyway I ordered 2 regular blades and 1 HD blade last week from Greenworks … they arrived TODAY. To make the shipping cost worthwhile, 3 or more blades is the answer.

I now see the difference 1st hand … both appear to be the same stamping so exact same profile, the std. blade is just trimmed down and not only the lift wings, but the o/a length as well.

The HD blade tip to tip is 20-1/4" long and the std. blade is 19-7/8" … I laid the std. blade on top of the HD blade to show the difference:

 

[dougmacm]

Ran the 40V Self Propelled today, bagging with the HD Blade … sounded like a completely different mower and it cut & bagged better.

However, blade motor would kick up to HIGH SPEED and stay there regardless of grass height or thickness … which likely also helped the cut quality and bagging performance.

4Ah battery lasted 1-2/3 full bags and almost 16 minutes which included time to empty the 1st bag (minute or two).

Swapped std. blade back in with 2nd 4Ah battery and went another 1-2/3 bags in 28 minutes (again including emptying 1 bag), 3rd 4Ah battery made it to the end / another 1-1/3 bags and had 1 bar left at 1 Hour 8 Minutes.

So the HD blade also works great on the 40V mower, but is not worth the extra draw / shortened battery run time … still glad I bought it and tried it out though !!

First battery was also too warm to put on charger right away, but was cooled down enough when second battery was done so I put them both on chargers at the same time.


I had mentioned that I had purchased the old style 29423 21" blade by mistake in another thread when I bought my mower. I compared it to the other two and it also has the exact same shape (likely all 3 are stamped on the same die), just trimmed differently on the ends, plus larger center hole & different locating notches:

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

I bought an amazon warehouse 21" GW mower and wanted a spare blade, so I ordered an HD blade from M and D . But, received a 'normal' duty one - no 'B' on the end of the stamping.

 

[MowerMike]

I bought an amazon warehouse 21" GW mower and wanted a spare blade, so I ordered an HD blade from M and D . But, received a 'normal' duty one - no 'B' on the end of the stamping.

That sucks ! What is their return/refund policy ?

Anyways, you can buy it directly from GW for $20 + shipping at greenworks dot ordertree dot com. The SKU number is SUN-2908902. It is currently in stock.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

Their email claims the HD is no longer mads and superseded by this blade. It was $18 and I can still use it so, I'm not gonna pursue a return. If I destroy a blade I would re-visit ordering from GW but, kinda wonder if they are just flushing stock? Might actually become a Unicorn!

 

[dougmacm]

UPDATE ... the Unicorn is still out of stock:

Greenworks Portal Search results for: '2908902'

Lawn mowers, pressure washers, blowers, cordless drills and other quality power tools for home and garden by Greenworks, powered by Order Tree.

greenworks.ordertree.com

Was hoping to buy a couple more for the mowing season, oh well.

Doug

 

[dougmacm]

I've been checking stock status every few months and when I saw it still "out of stock" this AM I sent an email to ordertree checking on the HD blade and the reply is encouraging in that it is not "obsolete":

Good Morning:
Unfortunately, the needed item are) currently on backorder and are estimated to be due into our warehouse within 10 to 12 weeks due to factory supply chain issues overseas.

Taba

Ordertree Customer Care

Order Status Backorder of 2908902